Multicolor printing press



Manix 16 ,1926.

' F. P. CAMPBELL MULTICOLOR PRINTING PRESS Filed oct. s1, 1924 Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

FRANK P. CAMPBELL, or TUXEDO,v MARYLAND.

MULTICOLOR PRINTING PIBIESS.'

Application filed October 31, 19247. ,Serial No. 747,085.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, FRANK P. CAMPBELL,

a citizen of the -United States, residing at Tuxedo, in the county or Prince Georges and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in-Multicolor Printing Presses,A of which theiiollowing is a specilication. v

' 'My said invention relates to a multi-color i0 printing press and it is an object of the same to provide improved means whereby color printing in a variety of colors may beperiformed rapidly and atthe same time man efficient and comparatively. inexpensive manner and without removing the sheet from the impression cylinder or other instrumentality on which it is held during the printing operation. -Referring to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, i h

Figure 1 is aplan viewof one embodiment of my invention, H t x Figure 2, a side elevation of the same,` and Figure 3, a detail view of certain parts.

In the drawings reference characterv indicates the frame of the (machine, said frame including a groove 0r way forl a sprocket or chain belt 11 passing 'aboutk'four sprockets 12 of which one isindicated as a driving device for the chain andy theothers maybe plain guide rollers if desired.

The driving sprocket is operatedby a rvshaft 13 having 'at each end a beveled pinion, one of which engages a pinion on the shaft of the sprocket 12 'and the other a pinion on a main driving shaft '14; provided with tast and loose pulleys'l and 16 over which a belt 17 passes, the beltat the-'other end passing over pulleys on the shaft ot a motor 18 by `which the machine is driven'.`

At a'distance from the pulleys l'aiid 16 on the shaft 141" have provided a spur gear 19 meshing with a Yspur Vgear 2O whichdrives the impression'cylinder\21. Saidimpressi'on cylinder has gear teeth 22 at oppositeends adapted to mesh-with the Vteeth ofracks on type frames as hereinafter described.

A talole23l for paperw24lisprovided as usual at one side of theim'pression` cylinder and a receivingvtable 255 is provided at thev other side. Any conventional or' desirable holding means lmay be-provided on the cylinder and stripperngersfQG Sservevias other conventional oi' desirable means.

usual for lifting the sheet of'f the cylinder. The details-of the mechanism employed for these purposes are well understood, being of any appropriate form and require yno special description. v

f Thechain belt 11 hasrattached thereto at intervals sliding tables 27 which move about the topv of the, frame in the directionvindicated by the arrows. adapted to have type'beds or frames 28 locked in plaeethereon by` quoins .29, these type frames holding set-ups of type 30. As the parts travel Vfrom one ofl the corner positions indicated to another the tables, 'the type kframes and the set-ups will all maintainV the'sameposition.relativeA to Aone an- `other .and may be said 4to be oriented vwith regard to eachother aty all times since,e. g.

.the west side of a frame will remain west in all positions as 'will be. obvious -from consideration or" `the drawing where thefterm headingwis `shown asset up *inV type on each of the rames.` Figure 1 may, of course, be taken to .represent four different positions of the same set-*up or four different set-ups.` Eachl of `the tables has a .set of rack 4teeth 31 at eachof two opposite Vsides which rack teeth are adapted-to mesh with Vteeth 2,2.at'the ends of the impression cylinder tofregulate accurately the position of the setuprelative to .the face of the inipression cylinder and insure that each of the successive vset-ups shall be applied in .ex-

actly correctposition with reference .to theA others. y

At vI points approximately midway the hingthl ofzthe sides of. the machine frame there are located ink fountains 32, n'ioiin'ted on vertically reciprocating frames 50, eachV intended 4to receiveiinleot' diierentcoior or character*from the others, which. ink

These tables are may be applied tothe typebeds or set-ups 1` by meansot .a series ot' .rollers 253, 34, and

$136,'- lalso:` carried by said Aframe 50,.or by any I A() insure that the same kind or'color or" ink w-illbe applied to a' set-up at each passage of` the bed or -set-up past its respective ink `fountain I have provided means comprising a series of cams 3'? upon which rest rollers 51 oii the lower end of frame 50, and driv-- Iing Ymeans therefor each arrangedl to engage with the roller 51 of the frame 50 of the particular inking arrangement to engage theftypeof'tlie appropriate bed for l inking the same. The driving means for said cam comprises a chain belt 38 driven by a pulley on the shaft 14 and driving a pulley on a shaft 39. At the opposite end of said shaft from the cam 37 is a beveled gear driving through a meshing beveled gear, a camshaft 4() for bringing the proper inking device into operative relation with the second bed or set-up. The shaft 39 is shown as carrying a spur gear el meshing with a spur gear e2 on a shaft 43 Which is the third cam shaft of the series and cooperates with related parts to bring the third inking device into opera-tire relation with the third bed or set-up. At the opposite end of the cam shaft 43 is a beveled gear meshing with a beveled gear on a shaft Llei- Which is the fourth camshaft and open ates in connection with the fourth bec or set-up.

The cylinder 21 is operated on the Wellknown stop cylinder principle, that is it has an intermittent movement, or a short stop after each revolution, or between the printing of different colors, so as to afford opportunity for removing the printed sheets and placing sheets to be printed in position. It will be understood, of course, that when the machine first startsv the cylinder will make four revolutions before the printing of the first sheet is completed and therefore that the second sheet Will not be fed to the machine until the four revolutions and the printing of four colors have been completed. 7While any appropriate mechanism, such as ordinarily employed for like stop cylinder operation in other printing machines, may

' be employed I have indicated, in Figure '3,

an arrangement of mechanism which I deem appropriate. In this arrangement the loose pulley 15 is adapted to be connected by a clutch to the fast pulley 16 on driving shaft 1li. Fast pulleyV 16 is capable of slight longitudinal movement on shaft 14, being mounted thereon by a spline 55. The clutch faces of said respective pulleys are normally held apart, or in non-operative position, by a spring 56 -ivhile a roller 5S on the arm of a forked member 57 is adapted to engage the outside face of pulley 15 and at appropriate intervals drop into a notch provided therefor, as shown in Figurezwhich results in the'separation of the clutch faces and the momentary stopping of the cylinder E21 `for the purpose before stated. The rotation of pulley 15, however, immediately operates to bring roller 58 out of said notch to ride upon the normal outside'face of said pulley 15 and thus close the clutch so that shaft 14 will rotate with said pulley 15 until said notch again registers with said roller 58. By this means a short stop or tarry of thecylinder 21 is accomplished at each rotation thereof.

It will be seen that my invention contein plates the printing of a sheet of paper in a plurality of colors, here indicated as four, without being removed from the cylinder, the mechanism being so arranged that each of the colors Will be properly located with respect to the others on the sheet. This results in a great saving of time over previous practice and also gives more accurate results and less Waste since the sheet need be fed but once and is not so likely to be dam aged in handling and for the further reason that there is less chance of offsets and spoilage in the actual printing operation.

It will be obvious to those skilled in vthc art that the principles of my invention may be embodied in mechanisms of widely different forms and details of construction and therefore I do not-limit myself to the form of the invention shown in the (lrawii'lgs and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a multi-color printing press a rectangular track, an impression cylinder, a plurality of type frames moving` successively past said cylinder on said track, a plurality of sources of ink differing in color, controlling means for causing ink of one color only tobe applied to each type frame respectively, and means for causing the type on each frame to act on-the paper on the impression cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. In a multi-color printing press a rectangular track, means for holding a sheet of paper, independent means for holding each of a plurality of set-ups of type, means at different sides of said track to apply ink of different colors to different set-ups, and means to apply said set-ups successively to such a sheet of paper, substantially as set forth.

3. In a multi-color printing press a rectangular track, means for holding a sheet of paper, a series of moving type frames, a plurality of inking means at different sides of the track supplying a characteristic ink to the type on one of said frames, and means for bringing each inking` arrangement into operative relation to one set-up, substantially as set forth.

4.. In a'multi-color printing press, means for holding a sheet of paper, a set of four type-frames facing in the same direction, said frames travelingon an endless track, nieans for causing them to act successively on such a sheet of paper, and means for applying a distinctive ink to each set-up on each travel round the track, substantially as set. forth.

5. In a multi-color v"printing press an endlessV track, means for holding a sheet of paper, a set of-*four type-frames traveling on said track, said type-frames being so guided that vthe type thereon reads in the same direction at all times, means for causing them to act successively on such a sheet of paper, inking means at spaced intervals along` the track, and means for causing' operative engagement of an inking arrangement with a specific type frame at each round of the track While preventing operative engagement betweenl said type- Jframe and, the other inking means, substantially as set forth. v

6. In a multicolor printing press an endless track, means for holding a sheet ot' paper, a set of four type-frames, traveling on said endless track said type-'frames facing in the same direction at all times, means tor causing them to act successively on suoli a sheet of paper, inking means at spaced intervals alongthe track, and means for causing operative engagement of an inking means With a specific type-frame at each round of the track While preventing operative engagement between said inking means and the other type-frames, substantially as set forth.

7. In a multi-color printing press, a rectangular track, type-frames traveling on said track, roller inkers between the corners of the track, -a camadjacent each inker arranged to lower one only of the series of inking arrangements into operative engagement With the respective type-frame, and means `for bringing a sheet of paper into operative engagement With successive type frames, substantially' as set forth.`

In Witness Whereoi I have hereunto set my hand and seal at lVashington, District of Columbia this 28th day of October, f' D. nineteen hundred and twenty-four.

FRANK P. CAMPBELL. Y. [a Sq 

